Governing Board Members

Juan A. Freire, Ph.D.Chair

Juan A. Freire is originally from Spain. He received a double teaching degree in Teaching, an MA degree in Social Pedagogy, and a Ph.D. in Bilingual/Multicultural Education at the University of Utah. Juan worked for several years as a teacher in Spain and as a dual language teacher in Salt Lake City. He is now working as a professor in the department of Teacher Education at Brigham Young University. He decided to be a board member at Esperanza because of his knowledge about dual language education and the benefits of academic achievement, bilingualism, biliteracy, and biculturalism in the lives of linguistic minority students, Latinas/os, and other students.

Marty BanksVice Chair

Martin Banks is a partner of Stoel Rives' Environmental Law practice group and Litigation practice group. His environmental practice includes counseling clients in cost-effective regulatory compliance and permitting strategies. He has broad experience with issues involving the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Administrative Procedures Act and the clean-up and transfer of contaminated properties. Martin's business litigation practice includes environmental and natural resources matters, real estate and land use issues (including public land use), construction disputes and OSHA matters. Martin was formerly a trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice (1991 - 1994), and an associate at White & Case (1989 - 1991).

Patricia Matthews, Ph.D.Treasurer​​Dr. Patricia Santistevan Matthews currently serves as an auxiliary Clinical Associate Professor with the Mild/Moderate Special Education Program at the University of Utah after spending many years as a faculty member in the Department of Special Education. She recently has returned to K-12 public education as a teacher specialist in special education in the Jordan School District. She earned her doctorate in 2008 from Northern Arizona University in curriculum and instruction with a special emphasis in programming for culturally linguistically diverse populations. She has worked as both a special education teacher in the areas of mild/moderate and severe programming and as a Prevention Specialist in general education. Her research interests include mathematics instruction for struggling learners, female educational empowerment, and designing and evaluating community engaged learning projects at both the local and global community levels for diverse populations with exceptional learning needs.

Cody CaseSecretary, Founding Board MemberCody is an educator with special emphasis in mathematics. He has experience teaching in a dual language immersion setting and currently works for the Salt Lake School District.

Other Members of the Board

Eulogio Alejandre, M.Ed.Executive Director/PrincipalEulogio Alejandre has been an educator for more than 25 years. He has been a teacher of elementary, junior high and senior high students in the Salt Lake and Ogden school districts. He has been a principal, a district office teacher specialist and a soccer coach. Most recently Mr. Alejandre was the Student2Student Outreach Program Coordinator at Weber State University.

Mr. Alejandre immigrated to Ogden from Mexico with his family when he was 12 years old. He has successfully navigated the public school system to achieve a Master of Education degree and an Administrative/Supervisory license from the Utah State Office of Education.​

Janet Christensen, M.Ed

Janet Christensen is a current and founding board member of Esperanza Elementary. She holds a B.A. in Special Education and ElementaryEducation along with an endorsement in English as a Second Language from Brigham Young University. She worked as a special education teacher and interventionist for 30 years. She is now retired and works as a consultant in reading intervention for struggling readers and English language learners. In 2012, Janet received the Excel Outstanding Educator Award from the Granite Education Foundation.

Debby Vonfoller-Bauman

​​Mary Parilla de Kokal

Challene NuvanAngela Zamora

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